1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a three-dimensional printing device, and relates particularly to a three-dimensional printing device and a method for storing printing data thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, along with increasing developments in industrial technology, many different methods using layer by layer model construction and the like additive manufacturing technology for constructing three-dimensional (3D) models have already been proposed. Generally speaking, additive manufacturing technology converts design data of a 3D model which is constructed by computer aided a design (CAD) and such software into a plurality of consecutively stacked thin cross-section layers. A printing module of a printing device typically moves above a base along an XY plane according to space coordinates XYZ constructed by the design data of the 3D model, such that a construction material is formed accurately in a shape of the cross-section layer.
In the above technology, a control terminal (for example, a personal computer connected with the printing device) or the printing device is required to first convert the design data, for example, a graphics file including each of the cross-section layer data into a coded signal which is identifiable by the printing head of the printing device before printing the 3D model. However, converting the graphics file into the coded signal which is identifiable by the printing head of the printing device will consume a great amount of time. When a same 3D model is requested to be printed again, a significant amount of time would be consumed every time the conversion is performed. However, on the other hand, a size of the entire data of the coded signal which is identifiable by the printing head is also significantly large. Therefore, if the converted coded signal is stored directly in order to save the time consumed by a repeat print, then a storage space that is required will not be small. Thus, how to achieve a suitable balance between the time consumed and the storage space is a problem which needs to be solved by a person skilled in the art.